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Learn to Sing 4 Free
(Insert Chapter Name), Barbershop Harmony Society
Week 6: Physics, Theory, and other Features of Barbershop
Barbershop music, as an art form, has many elements that help separate it from other musical
genres, even setting it apart from its a cappella cousins. Tonight we’ll review and experience
some of those elements.
The Basics
• While some experts still debate some finite elements, there are a handful of undeniable
characteristics that are agreed both inside and outside the Barbershop Harmony Society.
1. Melody primarily inside the chord. Most vocal arrangements feature the highest or
lowest voice as the melody. With brief exceptions, barbershop arrangements feature the
melody in the Lead voice (second tenor) with harmony almost always existing above or below
it. An abundance of orchestral pieces even feature the melody on the extremes.
2. Primarily homophonic singing. All parts are most often singing the same word sounds
at the same time. While the sound may take the form of a “pick-up” that is sustained, or an
echo on similar words, most of the time it is sung right along with the lead. This is significantly
different than doo-wop or contemporary a cappella in which the harmony parts often take on
the role of instruments. Choral music often involves counter-melodies and lyrics being sung in
alternating or overlaying fashion.
3. Use of “tension and release”: This characteristic is what people often associate with
barbershop music without realizing the theory behind it, and that’s just fine. Since barbershop
has its roots as “ear music,” harmony singers would often use tense chords (minor,
diminished, augmented, suspended) that simply BEGGED to be released to a major finish.
Most often, the “Barbershop 7th” (Minor 7th, Dominant 7th) is used to generate this tension.
We’ll investigate and experience this later.
4. Use of Circle of Fifths movement: Without getting too technical, we use natural chord
progressions where the root from chord to chord moves a perfect 5th, usually in the backward
direction (C to F to Bb, for example). It is common in Western music as the notes tend to “fall
into each other” naturally. The concept was not an invention in music, but rather a discovery
of a pattern within music that was pleasing to the ear. Similarly, even those of us who aren’t
versed in music theory can still often tell when something doesn’t “seem right.” We’ll
experiment with this concept later, as well.
• There are other elements, but these are the major musical and structural hallmarks.
Tuning and Overtones
• As we discussed in week 3, a goal of singing barbershop properly is to create and
match/reinforce each other’s overtones. To that end, we practice “just intonation.” Fixed pitch
instruments (e.g. pianos) are tuned to equal temperament, where the notes play exactly the
same regardless of context. Just intonation is one of several tuning practices that allow the
pitches to vary based on their position within a chord. The main characteristic that sets JI
apart from the others is that justly tuned intervals are those whose frequencies are related as
small, whole number ratios.
Example: Using a rounded frequency for the A below Middle-C of 220Hz, an octave
would be tuned at 440Hz (2:1 ratio), a fifth (E-natural) would be tuned at 330HZ (3:2
ratio).
• Tuning: Using this idea, when comparing to a piano (equal) scale, the just 3rd, 6th , and major
7th tune lower. The flat/minor 7th tunes higher. The major 5th needs a little boost and the 4th is
fairly even. You can see the details below.
Note
Equal
Difference
Just Scale Temperament
C4
261.63
261.63
0
C4#
272.54
277.18
+4.64
D4
294.33
293.66
-0.67
E4b
313.96
311.13
-2.84
E4
327.03
329.63
+2.60
F4
348.83
349.23
+0.40
F4#
367.92
369.99
+2.07
G4
392.44
392.00
-0.44
A4b
418.60
415.30
-3.30
A4
436.05
440.00
+3.94
B4b
470.93
466.16
-4.77
B4
490.55
493.88
+3.33
C5
523.25
523.25
0
It is interesting to note that 3rds are often sung so flat, that directors will often tell people to sing
it “on the high side.” While that is technically incorrect, it is practically good advice to
compensate for just how flat we sing 3rds. The opposite is true for the minor(barbershop)- 7th.
We sing it so sharp that we are encouraged to “sit on it.”
Let’s split the class in half: While one half repeats the “key” note, the second half can sing a
scale against them. Hear and feel how some of these intervals can compliment each other
differently based on tuning.
• Overtones: Overtones (“harmonic series”) are the reason we practice just intonation. In
complex vibrating instruments (like the human voice), partials (periodic waves) are created
with their own frequency, amplitude, and phase. The primary of these partials is the note we
hear (“fundamental”). The remainder of these partials are mostly harmonic, which are whole
number multiples of itself, like a sine wave cutting itself into fractions.
The picture below demonstrates a harmonic series. The first is the fundamental, followed by the
octave, followed by a 5th above that, followed by another octave, followed by the 3rd, 5th, and
minor (barbershop) 7th.
• Since these harmonics occur as whole number intervals, we tune to whole number intervals
so that our harmonics can begin to match and reinforce each other.
• Balance: Because of this same concept, balance within a chord also depends on these
whole number ratios. The smaller/simpler the ratio, the stronger balance relationship. This is
because these two voices are reinforcing each other’s overtones the soonest (or lowest within
the harmonic series). For the sake of simplicity, we’ll take a look at a major chord. Let’s put
basses on the root, baritones on the 5th, leads on the octave, and tenors on the 3rd above.
Lead/Bass: Octave = 2:1 ratio
Leads are singing the bass’s first overtone, and the lead’s first overtone is the bass’s
third overtone.
Bari/Bass: Perfect 5th = 3:2 ratio
Bari’s first overtone is the bass’s second overtone, and the bari’s third overtone is the
bass’s 5th.
Tenor/Bass (or lead): 3rd = 5:4 ratio
Tenor’s first overtone is the bass’s fourth overtone.
Sing each of these relationships. Notice how even in writing you can notice that the
relationships get more distanced. Try singing the chord in good balance. Try singing it OUT
of balance, perhaps with too much 3rd and not enough 5th. Does your ear tell you it’s not
right?
The good news, once again, is that while it is nice to know what is happening, the harmonics
and their reinforcement is a natural occurrence, and the ear is a natural guide to its being done
properly.
Circle of Fifths
• As discussed earlier, circle of fifths movement is common within Western Music, and is a
progression of chords that gently guide the ear to a satisfactory destination. Let’s take a look
with a familiar tune:
• Does that feel “natural?” Again, we don’t need to be experts in circle of fifths to appreciate the
concept. Let’s try it again with a twist.
• That doesn’t feel so swell, does it? In fact, it may have been quite difficult to pull off compared
to learning the first version.
Barbershop 7th
• As we move through the circle, barbershop music likes to add tension and release. A
common tension element is the minor or “barbershop” 7th. To demonstrate simply, sing
barbershop seventh on a G-chord, building from the bass up (1-3-5-7b). Does it not beg to
move down the 5th to a C-major chord? Try this exercise, as well:
• Your ear almost forces you along to resolve to the next circle of fifths motion. Let’s try to NOT
do that:
Barbershop music is an “ear” style of music that adheres mostly to reinforcing existing and
natural physics and musical theory. It’s popularity rests with the fact that it doesn’t require so
much “learning” as it does “introducing” to things that already exist.
Time permitting: Tag, Woodshedding, Questions
Adapted from various sources by Alan Gordon, 9/21/11